1. Field of Invention
The present invention is directed to techniques for inter-relating multiple data types from a number of dissimilar data sources, and more particularly, techniques for creating a comprehensive data output from such interrelated data.
2. Description of Related Art
The pharmaceutical industry is one of the largest data generating industries in the world. Numerous manufacturers, suppliers, retailers, physicians and marketing firms generate vast amounts of information concerning, e.g., the use, benefits, and effects of a multitude of different pharmaceutical products. As a result, enormous amounts of differing types of data are often analyzed and passed to and from a variety of computer systems relating to the marketed pharmaceutical products.
Such data ranges from the types of products, therapies, and companies being marketed to the international classification of certain pharmaceutical products. Often, voluminous information is stored on a particular computer system or network without the ability to relate different types of data with other data. This problem is further exasperated by the fact that a number of pharmaceutical companies often produce the same or equivalent type of pharmaceutical product in numerous product categories.
Against this background, it has become increasing important to develop techniques that can inter-relate different types of data which relate to a marketed pharmaceutical product in order to acquire an accurate depiction of the worldwide, or regional, pharmaceutical market.
Accordingly, a need exists for a technique for providing a comprehensive data output utilizing all the various types of received data relating to one or more marketed pharmaceutical products.